


Tattoo

by imthehotgirl



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, First Kiss, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mild Heartache, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-31 07:29:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20111410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imthehotgirl/pseuds/imthehotgirl
Summary: Buck gets drunk, gets a tattoo, freaks out about the tattoo and then realizes getting the tattoo might just be the smartest 'dumb decision' he's ever made.





	Tattoo

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shaneo6930](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shaneo6930/gifts).

> So almost 6 years ago now one of my best friends introduced me to a little song called 'Tattoo' by Hunter Hayes. From the minute I heard it I wanted to write fic around this song. It's taken me awhile to get here, but I'm happy to say I've finally done it. I hope my fellow Buddie shippers enjoy this one! :o)

"Evan, get a move on. You're gonna be late for work. I mean, you have a shift today, right?" Maddie asked, stepping into her living room where Buck had been passed out on her couch sleeping deeply only moments before.

"Wha'?" he asked groggily, his mouth feeling rank as he slowly moved into a sitting position. "What the hell happened last night?" he muttered, dragging a hand over his face as he stifled a yawn before meeting his sister's gaze.

"Funny. I was just about to ask you that question," Maddie replied, gesturing at Buck's left upper forearm which was taped up and wrapped in gauze as she hid a smile behind her hand.

Buck's gaze widened in alarm. "What the hell, Maddie? Seriously, what the hell?!" he exclaimed, rushing to the bathroom to stand in front of the mirror.

"I don't know, Buck," Maddie responded, unable to hold back a brief chuckle at her brother's expense. "You want some help with that?" she asked, motioning at his still wrapped forearm.

"I've got it!" Buck snapped, his brow furrowing in a glare as he held his arm away from her in a protective manner. Turning back toward the mirror he carefully slid his fingers underneath the gauze, hissing at the feeling of the tape pulling away from his skin.

In a matter of minutes Buck had successfully removed the dressing from his arm and stared at what reflected back to him through the mirror and left his mouth feeling even dryer than it had earlier. He couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. "Mads? What the hell is that?" he choked out, certain he was still asleep on Maddie's couch having some fucked up nightmare, the name DIAZ emblazened not only on his arm but seeming to be burned permanently into his retinas the longer he stared at it.

"It looks like a tattoo," Maddie replied unhelpfully.

"Uh, yeah, that much I figured out for myself, thanks. This can't be happening," Buck insisted, suddenly feeling like he was about to get sick at the prospect of what he knew was in store for him if anyone aside from his sister ever found out about this.

"It's really pretty," Maddie told him, noting the loopy, caligraphy style of the black lettering.

Buck snorted, letting out a half moan half hysterical laugh. "Not helping, Maddie."

Before the two of them could discuss things any further and come up with a potential game plan Buck's cell rang from the living room. He answered the call as he walked back toward the bathroom where Maddie stood waiting for him.

"Hey, lover boy," Chimney said. It took Buck a minute to realize Chimney must have him on speaker phone because he could hear the other man's laughter along with Hen's.

"Shut up," Buck growled irritably, his features melting into a scowl.

"Oh, come on, Buck. Haven't we reached the laughing stage yet?" Chimney teased.

"Considering last night is basically a blur at this point I'd say 'no'," Buck muttered dryly.

"So, I'm guessing you found the tattoo?" Hen asked, cackling.

"Yeah. All I'm missing at this point are the 'how' and 'why'," Buck said. "I mean, I remember the three of us going out for drinks after work last night, but that's pretty much it," he admitted.

"Oh, well, do you want us to relay this story over the phone or in person?" Hen wondered aloud.

"In person," Buck immediately decided. "I'm gonna be a little late this morning," he told them.

"We figured," Chimney said. "We'll see you when you get here, Buck."

"Wait!" Buck exclaimed suddenly, attempting to stave off the panic he felt. "Is-is Eddie coming in today?" he stammered, internally cringing at how desperate and equally scared he sounded.

"He won't be in until later this afternoon," Hen replied.

"Oh. Thank God," he murmured, relief flooding him. "I mean..." he trailed off, feeling awkward.

"Don't worry, Buck. We get it. We've all been there," Chimney said. "Maybe not to the extent you have, but, uh, we've all done stupid things and questioned the sanity of them come morning."

"Right. I'll see you guys later," Buck said, doing his best to ignore the irritation that was building again before he hung up the phone.

"I'll, uh, leave you to it," Maddie said, giving Buck a weak smile, leaving him alone in the bathroom.

Turning toward the mirror again, Buck released a heavy sigh, giving himself a half-hearted smile. "So, uh, Eddie, funny story..."

**

By the time Buck reached the 118 that morning he'd convinced himself there was no need for Eddie to ever find out what'd happened the previous night.

"Okay, guys, I'm ready whenever you're ready to start talking," he said, finding Chimney and Hen in the firehouse kitchen.

Hen and Chimney shared a look before they launched into the story which they'd privately entitled amongst themselves:

HOW BUCK GOT HIS TATTOO...

Once the three of them had reached their favorite bar and had begun partaking a little it wasn't long before Buck launched into a story on his favorite topic. That being Eddie Diaz and what a great dad he was to his son Christopher.

It was amusing considering just a few months earlier to this particular outing Buck's diatribes on the other man were filled with a little more vitriol. But the minute Buck found out Eddie was a single father it was like his entire view of the man changed overnight.

"It seriously sucks that Eddie hardly ever comes out with us, ya know? Like, you guys don't even know, okay? I miss him. I miss him so much it hurts sometimes. What do they call this? Heartbreak? Yeah, that's what this is," Buck insisted mournfully, picking at the label of the beer in front of him.

"Our shift literally ended an hour ago, Buck. You and Eddie were together all day and you'll see each other again tomorrow, man. Besides, he needs to spend time with Christopher, right?" Chimney asked.

"Well, yeah, of course he does. I don't want to take that away from him. EVER. All right? I just, I miss them," Buck replied, sighing heavily as he continued to peel the beer label away from its bottle.

"You miss 'them'? Plural?" Hen asked, her eyebrows lifting in surprise as she shared a pointed look with Chimney.

"Uh huh. Eddie and Christopher. Eddie's a great dad. I've-I've seen it," Buck confided conspiratorially. 

"Yeah. We all have," Chimney said, motioning between himself and Hen.

"Okay. But it's different with me, right? I mean, I love him," Buck declared resolutely.

Hen and Chimney blinked at him owlishly for a moment, letting Buck's revelation fully sink in.

Chimney leaned closer to Hen, whispering in her ear. "Is it true what they say about people becoming more honest once they've had a few?" he asked her.

"In my experience? That's a big fat 'hell yes'," Hen murmured in reply, unable to tear her gaze from Buck.

"So Buck...?" Chimney questioned uncertainly.

"Has feelings for Eddie? Seems like it," Hen nodded in agreement.

"I want to tell him," Buck continued, seeming to ignore Chimney and Hen's whispered exchange as he tried to reach across the table to grab Chimney's phone.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're not calling him," Chimney insisted, quickly pocketing his phone.

Buck scowled at this sudden, unexpected inconvenience. Mulling over Chimney's words for a moment his face split into a wide grin a few minutes later. "Okay, you have a point. Why would I tell Eddie how I feel when I could show him?!"

"What?" Hen and Chimney asked in disbelieving unison.

"We're getting out of here," Buck declared, getting to his feet, pulling his jacket on, grateful to have both Chimney and Hen on either side of him suddenly to help him stay upright as the world seemed to tip.

"So where are we going?" Hen asked warily once they'd made it outside.

"Tattoo parlor," Buck replied easily.

"Why?" Chimney demanded.

"To show Eddie how much I love him," Buck explained.

"Uh, yeah, you're gonna have to run the reasoning behind this one past us again, Buckaroo. There's no way in hell I'm showing up at your sister's place with you all tattooed and liquored up," Chimney said.

Buck turned toward Hen. "He's whipped," he told her.

Hen snorted. "Maybe. But Chimney's at least got enough sense not to go out and get his girl's name permanently tattooed on his body the minute he's had one too many," she told him as they made their way into the tattoo parlor down the street.

Buck's brow furrowed as he began to pout. "It's romantic!" he protested.

Chimney ran a hand down his face as he let out an audible groan. "Fine, Buck. You want to deface your body I'm not about to stop you," he finally relented. "What?" he asked, catching sight of Hen's exasperated look.

"What happened to stopping him, Chim?!" Hen demanded in a fierce whisper.

"He's a grown-ass man, Hen. How the hell is he ever going to learn not to make mistakes like this if we, as his friends, don't let him make them in the first place?" Chimney responsed, watching in mild amusement as Buck giddly made his way over to the guy behind the counter.

Hen's mouth hung open briefly before she snapped it closed after realizing she had no comeback. "Good point," she conceded.

After some consulting with the tattoo artist Buck turned back around to face his friends, a broad grin on his face. "I know what I'm gonna do, guys!" he declared happily.

"Awesome!" Chimney replied enthusiastically, giving Buck a thumbs-up.

"So, uh, if Maddie ever questions us about tonight's events we're pleading the Fifth, right?" Hen asked Chimney as the two of them watched the tattoo artist prep his work space before moving on to Buck's arm.

"Oh, definitely," Chimney immediately agreed.

PRESENT DAY...

Buck swallowed hard, avoiding Chimney's and Hen's watchful gazes for a moment, running a hand over his head. "You guys must think I'm an idiot, huh?"

"Not really, no. You can't help who you have feelings for, Buck. The tattoo thing might be a little much, yeah, but no matter what it's a learning experience," Hen told him gently. "And you like it, right? The tattoo?"

Drawing in a shaky breath, Buck nodded, a faint smile gracing his features.

"Then that's all that matters, honey," Hen insisted, squeezing Buck's hand briefly.

"Thanks, Hen," Buck said gratefully. "Chim?" he asked hesitantly.

"Hey, as long as Maddie never finds out I was anywhere near you when you got it done, we're good, man," Chimney insisted.

Buck laughed in relief. "Deal," he replied earnestly.

"Hey, guys. What's up? I miss anything last night?" Eddie asked, coming up to them all smiles. He effortlessly made himself comfortable next to Buck, their knees knocking together slightly as their legs were pressed together underneath the table they sat at.

Buck hadn't realized how late it'd gotten as Hen and Chimney relayed the events of the previous night to him. He belatedly remembered them telling him how Eddie's shift began that afternoon.

"No, not-not really. I missed you though," he admitted softly, barely glancing in Chimney's direction when he heard the other man snort at his choice of words.

"I missed you too. Next time?" Eddie asked hopefully.

"Absolutely," Buck agreed readily, doing his best to ignore Hen giving the two of them an inquisitive look.

**

In the days that followed Buck did his best to avoid changing his clothes in front of Eddie in an attempt to prevent the other man from seeing his tattoo.

As the days wore on and the week progressed Buck put his initital anxiety over Eddie finding out about his tattoo behind him. He'd even managed to get in a decent workout without the other man following after him. It was weird and somewhat hard for Buck to put distance between himself and Eddie considering how inseperable they normally were. But he should've known his luck wouldn't hold out forever.

One night after an especially long shift Buck found himself in the locker room alone with Eddie. Without thinking about it he tugged the t-shirt he wore off of himself, grabbing a clean one from inside his locker before tossing the used one into the gym bag at his feet to clean once he'd gotten home.

"Buck? What is that?" Eddie asked Buck, his voice soft as he spoke, sufficiently breaking the comforting silence between them.

Buck felt his heart lodge itself in his throat as he finally turned, wide-eyed, toward Eddie. "It-it's a tattoo?" he choked out, giving the other man a weak smile.

"Why?" Eddie asked in response.

Buck shrugged, a nervous laugh escaping him. "I was drunk and it seemed like a good idea at the time?"

Eddie shook his head. "That's not what I mean," he said, getting up off the bench he'd been sitting on, drawing closer to Buck until they stood in front of one another.

Buck finally swallowed again. "I don't-I don't know what you want me to say, man."

"Sure you do. It'll be okay. Promise," Eddie murmured. "Why my name?"

"What makes you think it's your name?" Buck retorted, deflecting.

"Considering the minute we met you've tried giving me a nickname and the first one you came up with was 'Diaz'," Eddie replied.

"Good logic. But, uh, somewhat wrong. I wanted a reminder of how I feel not only about you but Christopher too, you know?" Buck told him.

"Why?" Eddie repeated for the third time, a smirk lighting up his features.

"Jerk. Are you really going to make me say it?" Buck groaned.

Eddie nodded, continuing to grin at him.

"All right, fine," Buck grumbled, running a hand over his face in an attempt to stay alert. "The reason I wanted the tattoo is because I'm assbackwards, head-over-heels in love with you and your kid, and I wanted the whole damn world to know about it."

Eddie's eyes softened the longer they held each other's gazes.

"I'm in love with you too, Evan," he whispered, cupping Buck's face in his hands before kissing him deeply.

'Making It Permanent 'Cause I Never Want To Let You Go' ~Hunter Hayes

THE END


End file.
